Pigeon update (2014): what it changed and what local SEO needs now

What Google changed#

Google did not blog about this update. It confirmed it in a statement to Search Engine Land on 24 July 2014. Google said the new local search algorithm “ties deeper into their web search capabilities,” including the hundreds of ranking signals used in web search and features such as Knowledge Graph, spelling correction and synonyms.

Google also said the algorithm “improves their distance and location ranking parameters.” The changes showed in both Google Maps results and Google web search results.

When it rolled out#

Google said the update was rolling out on 24 July 2014 for US English results. It gave no completion date and no details on when, or whether, it would reach other countries and languages.

Google never named it. The next day, Search Engine Land wrote that Google told it there was no internal name, so it “decided to give it a name: Pigeon,” because this is a local search update and “pigeons tend to fly back home.”

What is known about its impact#

Google gave no figure. Search Engine Land reported that Google had not commented on the percentage of queries affected. Treat any percentage or winner list attributed to Pigeon as a third-party estimate.

What site owners should do#

Google does not document a separate Pigeon system today. Its current local ranking help says local results are “mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity.” It describes prominence as partly based on “how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have.” Its advice:

• Verify your business, so Google knows you are authorized to represent it.
• Keep your Business Profile complete and accurate: address, hours, category and attributes.
• Respond to reviews; positive reviews and helpful replies can help a business stand out.
• Add photos and videos that show what you offer.

How to check whether it affected you#

This is historical: Search Console keeps 16 months of data, so it cannot show July 2014. If you kept analytics or call and direction data from then, compare a week before 24 July 2014 with a week in August. The Google Algorithm Updates timeline lists the other updates of 2014, so you can rule them out first.

Later refreshes#

• Pigeon expansion (confirmed 22 December 2014): Google said Pigeon had reached the UK, Canada and Australia and was rolling out to all English-speaking locales except India.

Related updates#

• The Venice update was the local search change before it.
• The Possum update was the next reported local ranking change, in 2016.